SHERMAN, Texas – The 16th-ranked Tiger baseball team opened up a Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference weekend on the road with a 7-1 victory at Austin College on Friday night.

Trinity improved to 19-7 overall and remain on top of the league standings with an 8-2 conference record. Austin falls to 8-16 overall and 1-8 in SCAC play. The win is the sixth straight for the Tigers, which extends its longest streak of the season.

Joseph Chavana (Laredo, Texas / Alexander) earned the win and upped his record to 6-0 this season, pitching seven strong innings during which he allowed just one run on six hits, striking out nine batters. Luke Pfeiffer (Valencia, Calif. / Trinity Classical Academy) and Jack Briese (Danville, Ky. / Boyle County) combined to pitch the final two innings out of the bullpen and didn't allow a hit between them.

Nicholas Lazzara (Carrollton, Texas / Jesuit College Prep) picked up three of Trinity's 10 hits on the night, going 3-for-4 with two runs scored. Alex Monson (Houston, Texas / Memorial) had two hits and three RBI, while Colt Harris (Katy, Texas / Houston Christian) also drove in a pair of runs. Kaleb Woodward (San Pedro, Calif. / Palos Verdes Peninsula) went 2-for-4 with two runs scored.
Trinity took a 4-0 lead after three innings, scoring twice in the first and twice in the third. The Tigers answered the lone Austin College run in the bottom of the fifth with two more runs in the top of the sixth to make it a 6-1 game. Trinity then added one more in the seventh to finish off the scoring.

The Rundown

The first inning began with Jack Peterson (Round Rock, Texas / Round Rock) getting hit by a pitch, then advancing to second on a sac bunt from Woodward. Lazzara poked a single through the left side of the infield and just like that, Trinity led 1-0. Two batters later, Monson made it 2-0 with his two-out single up the middle. Chavana gave up two of his six hits allowed in the game with two outs in the first inning, but he also ended the threat with a strikeout.

Woodward and Lazzara had back-to-back singles with one out in the third to chase the Austin College starter from the game. Monson came up with the bases loaded and still no outs, delivering a two-run single through the right side of the infield to make it a 4-0 Tiger lead. Chavana capped the bottom of the frame with an inning-ending strikeout – his third in three chances to that point.

The first three Trinity batters reached base to start the fourth, but failed to score after three straight outs followed. Chavana got another strikeout to end the bottom half of the inning, but ran into trouble with three walks in the fifth. A bloop single broke up the shutout, but the Tiger starter got the next two batters out to strand the bases loaded and keep it a 4-1 game.

Austin got the first two batters out in the sixth, but Woodward tripled to keep the inning alive for Trinity. Lazzara was hit by a pitch to put runners on the corners, then Harris launched a double to deep left-center to score both players and extend it to a 6-1 lead for the Tigers.

Chavana finished the bottom of the sixth with another strikeout, then Trinity took advantage of a walk and an error to add another run. Kai Tinker (Simi Valley, Calif. / Grace Brethren) walked with one out, then stole second, and moved to third on a throwing error. Cam Champness (Katy, Texas / Taylor) knocked in his teammate with a single to left for what ended up the final score of the game.

After getting his ninth strikeout in the seventh, Chavana gave way to the bullpen in the eighth. Pfeiffer got two outs before walking a pair of batters to bring in Briese, who picked up a strikeout to close out the inning. Briese pitched around a two-out walk in the ninth, striking out the final hitter to seal the win.

Up Next

Trinity and Austin will close the series with a Saturday doubleheader, beginning at 12:00 p.m.